"All right, what spells do you know?" Kuja asked, shifting his weight. They were in a large room that seemed to be a training gym. Mallory thought for a moment then counted on her fingers. "I know Fire, Fira, Firaga, Blizzard, Blizzara, Blizzaga, Thunder, Thundara, Thundaga, Comet, Meteor, Flare, Osmose, Water, Waterga, Blind, Silence, Stop, Slow, Haste, Cure, Cura, Curaga, Float, Regen-"
"Okay, okay, I get it."
"Good."
"Show me what you can do," he said, stepping back to reveal a stuffed model of a huge man, like the one that had attacked her. Mallory cracked her knuckles and smiled. She charged at the bag and smashed her elbow into the stomach, and then she used the same arm and dug her knuckles into the face. "I meant magic," Kuja said, rolling his eyes.
"Oh…uh, sorry," Mallory blushed. She leapt back and readied herself to cast a spell.
"Firaga!" the mannequin burst into flames and crumbled to the floor in a pile of ash.
Kuja clapped. "Impressive." The without warning he hurled a lighting bolt at her. She had no time to dodge. She lay on the floor twitching, her arm burnt from the sheer heat. "What the hell?" she gasped. "Heal yourself, quickly!" Kuja urged. She did as she was told and was back on her feet again. "Very good."
Mallory dusted herself off and felt her arm. "Really?"
"Yes. Oh, I want to ask you something…"
"Hm?"
"You didn't make I big deal about my tail," he said, swinging it around into his hands and looking at it. "Why is that?"
"It's not a big deal," she shrugged, "I saw a guy with a tail just the other day."
Kuja ran up to her and grabbed her shoulders, shaking her slightly as he talked.
"Where?" he commanded, eyes full of fire.
"In Alexandria, by the castle…Why?"
Kuja ignored her question. "What were you doing by the castle?"
"Oh, one of the soldiers there is…was…my friend. I went to visit her."
"Was he with anyone?"
Mallory thought. "Yeah…I think so…five or six other people…"
"Do you remember what they looked like?"
"Why are you so interested?"
"TELL ME!"
"Okay, okay...The guy with the tail was blonde if I remember correctly…He was standing next to a brunette…It looked kinda like Princess Garnet from the angle I was at, but I don't know. Then there was one of those rat people…"
"You observed quite a bit…"
"Well, of course I did. They were kinda suspicious just standing there by the castle."
Kuja thought for a moment. "Do you think they escaped?" Mallory piped up. "Yes, I'm certain of it…" Kuja scowled. "That damn monkey is ruining all of my plans!"
Mallory giggled. "What's so funny?"
"Oh, it's just that you're as much of a monkey as he is. Why do you want to know about him?"
"That man, Zidane, is the one I want your help destroying."
"That scrawny street rat?"
"Yes. It should prove quite an easy task for you."
"Well, why don't you do it?"
"I have other business to attend to. You'll prove as a distraction. It's perfect."
He started laughing quietly to himself, but it quickly got louder. "Oh, enough of this…It's getting late, I'll show you to your quarters…"
Through more halls and teleporters they reached a room not unlike Kuja's. There was a huge bed waiting for her, like he had been expecting her. "There's a bathroom down the hall to the left. If you need anything, come get me. Take the teleporters back. Good night."
The shut the door behind her. Mallory walked over to the dresser and pulled open the second drawer to the top. It had women's clothing in it. She would have assumed they were Kuja's anyway, but she held them up to her and saw try were her size and would never fit Kuja, considering how tall he was. She changed and washed the make up off her face, and saw there was more on her night stand. She smoothed the feathers in her hair back and secured them safely to her head with a few pins, so that they wouldn't break or rip when she slept. Then she heard a little noise from outside her door. She opened the door and saw no one, so she walked a little ways down the hall. Then she saw to Toramas staring at her from a little shaded corner. She bolted down the hall and onto a teleport pad, not caring where it took her. She ran about for another fifteen minutes before she knocked, exhausted, on Kuja's door. "Yes?" he showed up at the door in his nightclothes, slightly annoyed. "Monsters, everywhere!" she huffed. "Oh, really now," Kuja stepped back and let her in. Mallory sat by the vanity and Kuja sat on the bed.
"There are monsters in this castle, true, but I'm sure it's nothing you can't handle."
"It just surprised me…I thought you might have not known." She looked up at Kuja's face. Even in the dim light she could see he didn't have his make up on. "Well, I do," Kuja rubbed his eyes. "And it's time for you to go to bed. They won't bother you in your room. And, if you kill one in front of others, the live ones will tell others, and no monsters will bother you ever again." He opened the door for her. "Good luck finding you way back to your room."
"Okay, okay, I get it."
"Good."
"Show me what you can do," he said, stepping back to reveal a stuffed model of a huge man, like the one that had attacked her. Mallory cracked her knuckles and smiled. She charged at the bag and smashed her elbow into the stomach, and then she used the same arm and dug her knuckles into the face. "I meant magic," Kuja said, rolling his eyes.
"Oh…uh, sorry," Mallory blushed. She leapt back and readied herself to cast a spell.
"Firaga!" the mannequin burst into flames and crumbled to the floor in a pile of ash.
Kuja clapped. "Impressive." The without warning he hurled a lighting bolt at her. She had no time to dodge. She lay on the floor twitching, her arm burnt from the sheer heat. "What the hell?" she gasped. "Heal yourself, quickly!" Kuja urged. She did as she was told and was back on her feet again. "Very good."
Mallory dusted herself off and felt her arm. "Really?"
"Yes. Oh, I want to ask you something…"
"Hm?"
"You didn't make I big deal about my tail," he said, swinging it around into his hands and looking at it. "Why is that?"
"It's not a big deal," she shrugged, "I saw a guy with a tail just the other day."
Kuja ran up to her and grabbed her shoulders, shaking her slightly as he talked.
"Where?" he commanded, eyes full of fire.
"In Alexandria, by the castle…Why?"
Kuja ignored her question. "What were you doing by the castle?"
"Oh, one of the soldiers there is…was…my friend. I went to visit her."
"Was he with anyone?"
Mallory thought. "Yeah…I think so…five or six other people…"
"Do you remember what they looked like?"
"Why are you so interested?"
"TELL ME!"
"Okay, okay...The guy with the tail was blonde if I remember correctly…He was standing next to a brunette…It looked kinda like Princess Garnet from the angle I was at, but I don't know. Then there was one of those rat people…"
"You observed quite a bit…"
"Well, of course I did. They were kinda suspicious just standing there by the castle."
Kuja thought for a moment. "Do you think they escaped?" Mallory piped up. "Yes, I'm certain of it…" Kuja scowled. "That damn monkey is ruining all of my plans!"
Mallory giggled. "What's so funny?"
"Oh, it's just that you're as much of a monkey as he is. Why do you want to know about him?"
"That man, Zidane, is the one I want your help destroying."
"That scrawny street rat?"
"Yes. It should prove quite an easy task for you."
"Well, why don't you do it?"
"I have other business to attend to. You'll prove as a distraction. It's perfect."
He started laughing quietly to himself, but it quickly got louder. "Oh, enough of this…It's getting late, I'll show you to your quarters…"
Through more halls and teleporters they reached a room not unlike Kuja's. There was a huge bed waiting for her, like he had been expecting her. "There's a bathroom down the hall to the left. If you need anything, come get me. Take the teleporters back. Good night."
The shut the door behind her. Mallory walked over to the dresser and pulled open the second drawer to the top. It had women's clothing in it. She would have assumed they were Kuja's anyway, but she held them up to her and saw try were her size and would never fit Kuja, considering how tall he was. She changed and washed the make up off her face, and saw there was more on her night stand. She smoothed the feathers in her hair back and secured them safely to her head with a few pins, so that they wouldn't break or rip when she slept. Then she heard a little noise from outside her door. She opened the door and saw no one, so she walked a little ways down the hall. Then she saw to Toramas staring at her from a little shaded corner. She bolted down the hall and onto a teleport pad, not caring where it took her. She ran about for another fifteen minutes before she knocked, exhausted, on Kuja's door. "Yes?" he showed up at the door in his nightclothes, slightly annoyed. "Monsters, everywhere!" she huffed. "Oh, really now," Kuja stepped back and let her in. Mallory sat by the vanity and Kuja sat on the bed.
"There are monsters in this castle, true, but I'm sure it's nothing you can't handle."
"It just surprised me…I thought you might have not known." She looked up at Kuja's face. Even in the dim light she could see he didn't have his make up on. "Well, I do," Kuja rubbed his eyes. "And it's time for you to go to bed. They won't bother you in your room. And, if you kill one in front of others, the live ones will tell others, and no monsters will bother you ever again." He opened the door for her. "Good luck finding you way back to your room."